Ok, here’s my second review. I’ve lost the last few games (been in the wrong mindset I think, being drawn into needless fights etc), but this game seemed like it would be worth going over. I’m black and play my usual fuseki.

1-12

I’m not sure how much I like this joseki for white, I gain sente, some potential down the right hand side, and the relationship between D16 (2) and L17 (12) isn’t great.

In order to try and improve my Go playing, I have decided to write some reviews on my games. I doubt (m)any people will be interested, but my hope is that by going to the effort to write out the review, I will also put more effort in to the actual review and gain more from the experience. Hopefully it will lead to me playing better go too 🙂 So without further ado, here is the first game.

I am playing white, we have 25minutes clock time, and 6.5 komi. The opening is pretty straight forward with both players taking adjacent star points (hoshi). Black approaches, I back off low (no reason to pincer), and black then backs off with a large knight. Not the move I would have played, or one that I know much about (D2 and 4 are the more obvious moves), but it is played by professionals, so there’s no reason to think it’s anything other than an excellent move.

1-8

With move 8, I have sente so I decide to approach Q3 to prevent black creating a “double wing” formation. So far, so simple.

Woke up, went for a shower (might as well get my money’s worth while paying to stay at a campsite), and them promptly got soaked by horizontal rain while walking back to the tent. So, now all my clothes are damp. I start to wonder when they’ll get a chance to dry out. The weather forecast hasn’t been particularly inspiring. Moz had booked a boat trip out to Staffa and we’re wondering if it’s still worth going give the gray gray weather. After some umming and ahhing, we decide that we might as well cycle into Fionnport to get something to eat, and we can decide about the boat trip, and more generally, what to do all day if it’s going to constantly rain, later.

So the good news is that in-between attending CVSS in the Black Forest, Germany, and ECVP in Liverpool, England, I just about have enough time to head off to the islands again this summer! And, even better, Moz is back from Italy and has just enough time to go on an adventure before he’s due back at school. My plan is to get the train down from Aberdeen to Linlithgow on the Monday, while Moz drives north from Manchester. We then have time to get packed and have some lunch at Linlithgow before heading up to Oban to catch the last ferry to Mull.

A bright sunny start to the day. Let’s hope it will be like this over in Mull. All week. We can but dream, right?

Huh, I never did finish writing up last year’s trip. Well, I guess I should start now, before I start writing the 2015 trip. Not that there’s a huge amount to say… we woke up, packed up, and started cycling North. The weather was continuing to hold and travelling across the causeways was a much nicer experience than on the way down.

It’s a shame we’re catching the boat home tonight!

We stopped off at the Italian Chapel, built by POWs in the second world war. Quite an amazing building.

Quite amazing to think POWs created this from next to nothing.

It doesn’t come out that well in the photo, but the shading effects on the painted bricks are very compelling.

We then spent the afternoon taking the long route back to Kirkwall for the evening ferry.